Iced Pumpkin Spice Latte

Photo credit: Julie Han

Every morning, I make a pot of coffee for my husband and me. We each have a cup, and he takes a to-go cup with him to work. Depending on my day, sometimes I have more coffee, and sometimes I don't. If I don't have a second cup, that can lead to some wasted coffee. So sad.

That got me to thinking. What could I do with that extra coffee if I don't get around to drinking it? The same thing I do with fruit that I won't get around to eating -- freeze it and turn it into a smoothie!

Pour that coffee that you don't need to drink today into ice cube trays. When frozen, transfer those coffee ice cubes to a freezer-safe container for later use.

Then, when you need a treat in the afternoon, you can grab a few cubes and blend them with some lovely all-natural ingredients. (Have you ever seen the ingredient list of some popular pumpkin spice lattes? Yuck!) What could be better than a pumpkin-y, spicy, frothy coffee treat? Not much!



Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie (vegan, gluten-free, allergen-free, sugar-free)
Makes 1 2-cup smoothie

Ingredients:

• 4 2-ounce coffee ice cubes
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (I love So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Beverage.)
• 1 teaspoon agave nectar
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Preparation:
blend all ingredients thoroughly.


Happy Cooking!
Kim

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

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Not Just Any Allergen- and Gluten-free Donuts, but Welcoming Kitchen Apple Cider Donuts!

I started working on Welcoming Kitchen donuts many years ago, when I realized that my at-the-time 5-year-old son had never eaten a donut! Now, we eat yummy chocolate-glazed donuts whenever we need a donut fix. For this fall favorite, we were inspired by a recipe in Food Network's magazine and came up with another great donut to add to our repetoire. You can buy a donut pan online or even at your local craft store. These apple cider donuts have a denser, coffee-cake-like texture, and a yummy, apple-cinnamony flavor.

Apple Cider Donuts

Makes 15 donuts

Ingredients:

2 medium apples

2 1/2 cups apple cider, divided

3 1/2 cups gluten-free, all-purpose baking mix (like Bob's Red Mill)

1 teaspoon xanthan gum

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, divided

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar

1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening, divided

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 cup non-dairy milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 325.

Grease a standard-size donut pan with shortening.

Rough chop apples (no need to peel them).

Combine apples with 1 1/2 cups apple cider in a small saucepan.

Cook over medium heat, until apples are soft and apple cider is almost completely reduced. This should take about 20 minutes, depending on the size of the apples.

Puree apples in a food processor .

In a medium bowl, combine GF flour, xanthan gum, 1 tablespoon baking powder, baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Whisk together well.

In a large bowl, combine applesauce with 1/2 teaspoon baking powder.

Add sugar, 3 tablespoons shortening and vanilla to applesauce mixture. Blend well.

Combine rice milk with apple cider vinegar. Add to applesauce mixture. Combine well.

One-half at a time, mix dry ingredients into wet.

Mix one cup of the pureed apples into the batter.

Fill donut pan 2/3 full.

Bake 12 - 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a donut comes out clean.

While donuts are baking, heat remaining apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Bring to a high simmer. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup.

Whisk confectioners' sugar into reduced cider.

In a shallow bowl, combine 2 teaspoons cinnamon with granulated sugar.

Remove donuts to a cooling rack.

Dip top half of each donut into the glaze. Let extra glaze drip off.

Spoon cinnamon-sugar over glaze. Shake off excess.

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Ancient Grains: A Guide to Cooking with Power-Packed Millet, Oats, Spelt, Farro, Sorghum & Teff (Superfoods for Life), is available now! Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake

I like to wow my boys with a treat for breakfast once in a while. Today was one of those days.

This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake might just make me mom of the year. At least for the moment.

I don't even feel guilty about giving them this treat for breakfast (or too guilty!). It's a cake that's whole-grain, gluten-free, vegan, no added sugar and it has pumpkin! It's got to be kinda good for you, right? And, my boys will tell you that chocolate is a superfood, so adding the optional chocolate chips just makes it all the more healthy in their eyes!

If you need a sweet treat later in the day, this might be a little more appropriate. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Cake (vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, food allergy safe)
Makes 1 cake

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons oat flour (gluten free, if necessary)
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg & 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon apple juice or water
• optional: 1 tablespoon allergy-free chocolate chips

Preparation:

1. In a mug or ramekin , whisk together flour, salt, spice and baking powder.
2. Thoroughly mix in remaining ingredients.
3. Stir in chocolate chips if using.
4. Microwave for one minute.
5. Note: If you'd prefer to make this without a microwave, you can bake it in an oven-safe vessel at 350F for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Happy Cooking!

Kim

Shared with Allergy Free Wednesday.

My new book, Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

Read More

The Blender Girl Smoothies -- Grapefruit Fennel Smoothie

Reprinted from THE BLENDER GIRL SMOOTHIES Copyright © 2014, 2015 by Tess Masters. Photographs copyright © 2014 by Erin Kunkel. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

I am so excited to tell you about a new book from healthy-cooking dynamo, Tess Masters, aka The Blender Girl. The Blender Girl Smoothies: 100 Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Paleo-Friendly Recipes is a fantastic collection of recipes that make it a pleasure to sip your fruits and veggies (and a whole lot of other good-for-you foods). The book is based on The Blender Girl Smoothies app, which launched in October of 2014.

Not only is the book loaded with 100 innovative vegan and gluten-free smoothie recipes, each recipe includes a gorgeous photograph, optional 3 nutritional boosters and benefits of each smoothie, for example weight-loss, detox, etc.

Tess also includes information on how to build a smoothie, how to stock your pantry and more essential smoothie-success information.

I have tried several of the smoothies in the book, and each is delicious and different. The Grapefruit Fennel Fix is a new favorite. This exciting flavor combination makes me feel like I'm on vacation ... and that's always a good thing! Tess has generously shared the recipe for this delightful smoothie with us.

Reprinted from THE BLENDER GIRL SMOOTHIES Copyright © 2014, 2015 by Tess Masters. Photographs copyright © 2014 by Erin Kunkel. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. 

grapefruit-fennel fix 

A surprisingly stunning combination, grapefruit and fennel are both rich in vitamin C, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and potassium. The blend serves up anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, weight-loss, and detox power that helps boost immunity, scavenge harmful free radicals, cleanse the colon, regulate heart rate and blood pressure, aid digestion, and alleviate stomach ailments.  
Serves 2  

1/2 cup (120ml) water  
1/2 small fennel bulb, cored, trimmed of stalks, and chopped  
1 medium red grapefruit, peel and pith removed, seeded, and cut into chunks 
 1 green apple, skin on, cored and chopped  
1/4 medium avocado, pitted and peeled  
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 
 15 drops alcohol-free liquid stevia, plus more to taste  
1 1/2 cups (190g) ice cubes  

Throw all of the ingredients (except the ice cubes) into your blender and blast on high for 30 to 60 seconds, until smooth and creamy. 
Add the ice and blast for a few seconds more, until smooth and chilled.  

Boosters 1 cup (27g) loosely packed baby spinach  
1 teaspoon flaxseed oil  
1 teaspoon pomegranate powder 

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

 

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Creamy Sweet Potato and Carrot Yogurt Smoothie

I love a good contest. 
I love So Delicious Dairy Free everything.
So, the combination of a So Delicious recipe contest is too much for this girl to pass up!

I am entering my Carrot and Sweet Potato Yogurt Smoothie in the Sippable Category.


Carrot and Sweet Potato Yogurt Smoothie
makes 4 generous servings


Ingredients (amounts are approximate):
one baked sweet potato, skin removed
3 carrots, cut in chunks*
3/4 cup frozen pineapple chunks 
3/4 cup frozen mango chunks
2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
3/4 cup non-dairy vanilla yogurt, I used So Delicious vanilla cultured coconut milk.
1 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk beverage
1/2 cup apple juice (or more if needed for a thinner consistency)

Preparation:
*I use a Vitamix Blender . If you are not using a high-powered blender, grate the carrots first.
 
Blend thoroughly. 

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

 

Read More

Sunny Chocolate Coconut Butter -- a nut-free, whole-foods Nutella alternative

I had so much fun working on Super Seeds , that I'm finishing up writing another book. I'll tell you all about it later, but for now, I wanted to share a little something that can not wait until next spring for you to try it. 

 I have said it before, but I'll say it again ... often when you have to adapt a conventional food to meet your special diet needs you come away with something better. Something delicious. Something with higher-quality ingredients. Something craveable. Something you can feel good about eating right off the spoon. 

This Sunny Chocolate Coconut Butter doesn't just stand in for sugar-loaded chocolate nut butters, like Nutella, it takes their place! It's crammed full of goodness: sunflower seeds, coconut, cocoa and agave. There's not a speck of palm oil, sugar or dairy here. Just good stuff.

I've been having a bit of a crush on Coconut Butter lately. It's delicious spread on toast or baked into goodies, but it wasn't enough. I needed to take it one step further. 

Sunny Chocolate Coconut Butter (vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, allergen-free)
Makes approximately 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients: 
2 cups shelled sunflower seeds*
3 cups of unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-5 tablespoons coconut Oil
1 teaspoon chocolate extract (optional)

Preparation:

1. *If you are using raw sunflower seeds, lightly toast them in a 200-degree (f) oven for 2-3 minutes, just to warm them up and release their aroma. Watch them, because you don't want them to burn. If you are using roasted sunflower seeds, you can skip this step.
2. Break down coconut flakes into smooth coconut butter in your food processor . This can take 10-15 minutes. Scraped down the sides a few times as it processes. See this post if you need more information. 
3. Add remaining ingredients, using just 3 tablespoons of the coconut oil , process until smooth. If you need it to be thinner and smoother add a little more coconut oil.
4. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. 
5. To use, let hardened butter soften for a few minutes at room temperature before spreading.

If you have Super Seeds and you're enjoying it, would you please help me get it to more people by leaving a review on Amazon? Thanks so much if you can!  

This post was shared with Allergy Free Wednesday.

Happy Cooking!

Kim 

My new book,  Super Seeds, is available now! You can also find tasty recipes in Welcoming Kitchen: 200 Delicious Allergen- & Gluten-Free Vegan Recipes.

 

Read More